A few weeks ago, a work trip created my first opportunity to visit Miami. Although Miami may not necessarily be a “bucket-list” destination for me, it has intrigued me nonetheless. I’ve seen South Beach in film shots that looked gorgeous. And the Everglades are just a short drive away.
With that in mind, my travel partner and I booked our (6am departure!) flight to arrive a day early to take advantage of the situation.
From an iPhone, no joke
After landing and securing our rental car from an incredibly shady looking location, we drove straight to the Everglades. I have a life goal to visit all of the National Parks. The Everglades are one of those parks, so I must go.
We took a fan boat out into the marsh and, surprisingly for this time of year, saw plenty of alligators. I took a few pictures, but my favorite was the image below of the babies. Look at those little guys!
The babies had a mama just behind me, within striking distance 😬.
Aside from the alligators, this was my favorite Everglades image.
A touching moment happened after I returned home. In talking to my mom, I found out my dad had stood in this exact spot only a few years ago during one of the many adventures he and my mom shared after retirement. He passed away only three months ago, and hearing about this shared experience just sweetened the moment even more.
After the Everglades, we headed to our hotel to rest and prep for our shoot the next day. It was a full day of filming with just enough time to catch a quick nap before heading to dinner…at the famous South Beach.
We found a nice Italian restaurant and ordered dinner. As sun was setting, I could not help excusing myself from the table to capture a few images before our food arrived and the sun left us.
So much of this place looked like images I had seen of Cuba.
I don’t know what it is about the shot below, but it’s 100% my favorite from the trip.
And as quickly as the trip started, it was over, and we were back in Greenville.
The end.